Bookies Let You Place Your Bets On the Future!

Do you feel that you have a good idea of what will happen in the next decade (possibly as a result of reading certain future-oriented science and technology websites)? Have you wanted to profit from the time you spend reading and thinking about the future? Now's your chance.

Buzzfeed asked Alex Donohue, an oddsmaker at Ladbrokes, an English gaming house, to frame the bets and set the odds. Here are a couple, along with some articles to reference.

Google's Autonomous Car

The Bet: Part 1 Google’s self-driving car to be used legally within Europe/The US before 2025.
The Bet: Part 2To be the dominant form of automobile in Europe/The US before 2025.

The Odds: 1/2; 25/1

“It looks to be a near-certainty that the self-driving car will be developed to the point of legal road use before 2025. It’s one of the surest tech bets around at the moment and we make no apology for offering short odds about it being implemented, due to the safety, insurance and potential climate implications, all of which look favourable. As for drivers actually being convinced to rewire their brains to appreciate and feel comfortable being driven by a computer, it seems like this will take longer. Therefore the odds suggest the traditional car will prevail for a long while yet.”

SpaceX Mars Program

“This looks like an incredible longshot. Anyone brave enough to put money on this must be far more optimistic about the boundaries of space technology than we are. If we end up having to pay out on this bet, anyone who wins might scoop enough to go on a trip to Mars themselves.”